With such a long history Egyptians have had some time to perfect their cuisine. The result is a broad range of dishes, from flatbreads like Aish Baladi to soups such as Fatta, familiar items like falafels to the very foreign such as Hamām Maḥshi (stuffed pigeon), and desserts including Basbousa and Egyptian ice cream Bouzat Haleeb. On your holidays in Egypt you will be able to find a different dish to sink your teeth into every day.
Bread:
Aish Baladi wholewheat flat bread, Levantine (shami) pita, Eish Masri or Eish Baladi pita bread
Soup:
Molokheyyah jute and corchorus green leaves broth with meat
Fatta (garlic and white vinegar soup over rice and meat)
Mains:
Ful Medames mashed fava beans, olive oil, garlic and lemon juice
Falafels fava beans or chickpeas
Koshari rice, lentils, macaroni, tomato sauce
Skewered Kebabs
Kofta/Kefta spiced meatballs
Kebda fried liver
Hamām Maḥshi pigeon stuffed with rice
Shakshouka eggs with tomato sauce
Samak Mashwi Alexandria grilled fish
Feseekh dried mullet fish
Mahshi stuffed vegetables
Taro / Qilqas plant
Stuffed vine leaves
Street Food:
Taamiya, Kushari, Fuul and Shawarma sandwich
Condiments:
Baba ghanoush pureed eggplant sauce
Tahini sesame paste, Hummus, Dukkah dip
Chopped parsley, onion, lemon juice, chilli paste, turmeric.
Dessert:
Keshk pudding
Kahk shortbread biscuit
Basbousa sweet semolina cake
Baklava
Fatayer pancakes, Qatayef crepes
Luqmat al-Qadi doughnuts
Bouzat Haleeb ice cream, Halawa sesame paste
Roz Be Laban rice pudding
Umm Ali bread with milk, raisins and nuts
Konafah noodle pastry
Gibna Domiati white soft cheese and yoghurt
Tea:
Egyptian tea – Koshary and Saiidi (strong, black and sweet)
Fruit and herbal beverages:
Kasab (sugar cane), Erk Soos (licorice), Carob, Sobiia (white juice), Tamr, fresh fruit juices
Karkadeh hibiscus tea
Spirits:
Zibib (aniseed)
Beers:
Stella, Sakkara, Aswanli
Courtney Gahan is a serial expat, traveller and freelance writer who has bartered with Moroccan marketeers, seen the sun rise at Angkor Wat and elbowed her way through crowds on NYE in NYC
